Lagos, Nigeria – Friday, 4 October 2024 – The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) has announced the opening of applications for the 19th edition of the Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting (WSAIR). This year’s award is part of the Civic Space Guard Project, aimed at honoring and celebrating the courageous efforts of investigative journalists and news media as defenders of civic space in Nigeria.
Professional reporters and teams of reporters, both full-time and freelance, are invited to submit their published stories targeted at the Nigerian audience by 4 pm on Thursday, 24 October 2024.
Since its inception in 2005, the WSAIR has recognized outstanding journalists who deliver in-depth stories that prevent or expose corruption in both public and private sectors, highlight human rights violations, and reveal regulatory failures across various media genres, including print, online, photo, editorial cartoon, television, and radio.
WSCIJ will employ its award coding system, introduced in 2012, to compile and forward submitted entries to an independent panel of media experts and industry professionals for evaluation. The 2024 WSAIR judges will assess entries based on several criteria, including the quality of investigation, evidence, human rights elements, ethical reporting, courage, individual creativity, public interest, impact, and overall presentation. All interested journalists are encouraged to review the entry criteria for their respective categories.
In 2023, WSCIJ received a total of 244 entries, of which 99 met the criteria for further screening: 29 from print, 45 from online, 7 from television, 2 from radio, 8 from photo, and 8 from editorial cartoons. The award has since produced 126 finalists, 58 Soyinka Laureates, and 13 Investigative Journalists of the Year. It has also granted 29 honorary awards, including the Lifetime Award for Journalistic Excellence and the Anti-Corruption/Human Rights Defender Awards.
The 19th Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting ceremony is scheduled to take place in Lagos on Monday, 9 December 2024. Interested candidate should click on the form to submit their application.
For more information, please contact:
Motunrayo Alaka
Executive Director/CEO, WSCIJ
